Creative and video production that earns the media spend.
Creative and video production covers the design, copywriting, video and audio assets a media campaign needs to run — VCM doesn't operate an in-house creative studio, but project-manages a trusted partner network of designers, video producers, copywriters and photographers, so you get one point of contact and creative built specifically for the media plan it's going into. Great media planning means little without creative that works. We deliver creative through a trusted partner network — designers, copywriters, video producers and photographers we’ve worked with for years.
How it works
We don’t pretend to be an in-house creative agency. What we do is curate and project-manage a small network of specialist partners, each chosen for what they do best — print design, digital banner production, TV commercial production, photography, copywriting, motion design.
You brief us. We brief them. We project-manage delivery. You get one point of contact, one invoice, and creative that’s ready for the media plan we’re about to run.
What we deliver
- Print advertising design (national press, magazines, trade titles)
- Out of home creative (six-sheet, 48-sheet, 96-sheet, transport)
- Digital banner production (display, social, programmatic)
- Video production (TV commercials, BVOD, social video)
- Radio commercial production (script, voice, audio)
- Photography (product, lifestyle, location)
- Copywriting (long-form, advertising, product)
What we do and don't do
VCM is a media agency, not a creative agency. We don't have an in-house design team and we don't lead on brand strategy. What we do is understand what creative actually needs to do in a direct-response context — and that shapes everything about how we brief and review work.
In practice that means: we know a 30-second TV script needs a verb in the first three seconds, a 48-sheet needs to work at 70mph with no more than seven words, and a half-page newspaper ad without a strong call to action will not pull response. We apply that knowledge when we work with clients on creative, whether that's briefing an external agency, reviewing concepts before print or trafficking assets to broadcasters.
Video for digital and broadcast
Short-form video is now a core media format across digital, social and connected TV. A 15-second pre-roll, a 6-second bumper and a 30-second broadcast spot all have different creative requirements — and all can carry the same campaign message if they're planned together from the start. If you're producing a broadcast spot as well as digital cutdowns, our Radio & TV service is where the media plan comes together.
We advise on aspect ratios, safe areas, file specs and loudness normalisation across every platform we buy on. If you're producing video assets for a campaign we're managing, we'll give you a technical brief before production starts — which saves costly revisions at the trafficking stage.
Why we don't run an in-house creative team
It comes down to specialisation and incentives. A media agency that also runs a creative department has a built-in reason to sell you more creative hours, whether or not the campaign needs them. We'd rather stay focused on what we do best — planning and buying media — and bring in a partner who does nothing but design, film or write, chosen for that specific brief rather than whoever's free in-house that week.
The trade-off is that we're upfront about it: if you need brand strategy or a full creative overhaul, we'll say so and point you to the right people rather than pretend it's something we lead on.
Briefing creative for late space
Late-space opportunities move fast — sometimes with hours, not days, to confirm — so creative that's evergreen or easily adaptable gets far more value out of our late-space book than assets built for one fixed date. If late space is part of your plan, we'll flag this at the brief stage so whatever gets produced can be deployed the moment the right opportunity comes up, rather than sitting unused because the creative was too campaign-specific to reuse.
Frequently asked questions
Does VCM produce creative as well as buying media?
Our core service is media planning and buying. We can advise on what effective creative looks like for each format and channel, brief external producers, and review assets before trafficking — but we don't run an in-house creative or design studio.
What file formats do broadcasters and publishers require?
Requirements vary by channel and format. TV requires broadcast-grade files (typically MXF or ProRes) with specific audio levels. Digital display follows IAB standards. Print needs press-ready PDFs to specific bleed and colour profiles. We provide full technical specs to your production team before they start work.
How long does it take to produce a TV ad?
A simple animated or presenter-led ad can be produced in 3–4 weeks. Live-action shoots typically need 6–8 weeks from brief to delivery. If you're targeting late-space airtime, we'll plan the production timeline backwards from the buy to make sure assets are ready in time.
Can you work with our existing creative or branding agency?
Yes. We don't lead on brand strategy, so we regularly brief and coordinate with a client's existing creative or branding agency — we handle the media specs and trafficking, they handle the creative direction.
Do you produce creative specifically for late-space campaigns?
We can brief partners to produce evergreen or easily adaptable assets designed to be deployed at short notice, which get far more value out of a late-space book than creative built for one fixed date.
Need creative as well as media?
One brief, one team, one accountable point of contact. We'll handle the rest.